GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker - How to remove

GetEasyMaps.co is a site that promotes the Yahoo search engine and promises quick access to various map links. While not malicious or a virus, this website (and the extension that it comes with) demand too many permissions and power over your browser to be considered completely safe.

GetEasyMaps.co promises:

• Easily search maps and satellite images, and instantly get map driving directions.
• Avoid heavy traffic by using the live traffic report to see busy roads or highways.
• FREE, no registration required. Get directions, maps, traffic reports, and more!

While an extension like that might be useful to a lot of people, is it actually better than just a mapping website? It has, after all, been developed by HyperConnect Media, a company that already has a few browser-manipulating hijackers under its belt. I propose that GetEasyMaps.co is, too, just another hijacker that is more useful to the developers than the users. Its unsafe distribution methods, its lacking functions, and the focus on hijacking the search engine all make it suspicious.

What is GetEasyMaps.co?

I hope you weren’t expecting a lot when installing GetEasyMaps.co. All it does for maps is link to Google or Bing maps. So, instead of going to the map site and typing the addresses, you can type your addresses and then go to the map site. That’s not really saving you any time. The other “functions” are also simple links to a few websites, nothing that can’t be accomplished with a few bookmarks.

GetEasyMaps.co doesn’t offer anything new or attractive to most people. It takes these functions that already exist and were created by Google or Bing, then presents them as some sort of a bonus. While honest map extensions reveal when they provide simply a novel way to access a particular map website, GetEasyMaps.co gives the impression that it’s doing something new.

It wouldn’t be so bad, though, if it wasn’t for the unnecessary search hijacking and tracking. It’s not the quick map links that are GetEasyMaps.co’s main product — the extension is there to promote a particular search engine and to record your browsing habits for advertisers’ benefit. Whatever query you type into the search bar of GetEasyMaps.co, what website you visit — it will be recorded.

However, it’s not the worst. Unlike some hijackers, I haven’t seen GetEasyMaps.co bundle other unwanted extensions, or do something nearly as malicious as, for example, FacexWorm.

How is GetEasyMaps.co distributed?

Malicious ads promote GetEasyMaps.co quite extensively. GetEasyMaps.co can be loaded after you click on a seemingly unrelated ad or a fake download button on some website.

Another way to find GetEasyMaps.co — searches. Bizarrely, a lot of these map-themed browser hijackers (like Mapsnow.co, Easy Maps Now, Search.hquickmapsanddirections.com, and so many others) are discovered and installed by people searching for MapQuest — an old and established but totally unrelated digital mapping service.

Adware viruses, too, promote GetEasyMaps.co among other PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) and malware. The way that adware does this is by manipulating your browser. A web browser displays websites, as well as manages their behavior (for example, browsers can block pop-up windows). A hijacked browser can be forced to show various websites, to display more than normal ads or different ads, and to open new tabs with whatever page the creators of the adware want. GetEasyMaps.co being installed thanks to adware is very possible, especially if you also noticed your browser behaving strangely.

How to remove GetEasyMaps.co

GetEasyMaps.co can be removed manually with the help of the below guide. The different browsers targeted by GetEasyMaps.co have specific instructions. This should restore your old search engine and your old home page.

It would be beneficial to scan your machine with a strong antivirus program, like Spyhunter, or another program that you trust. Thanks to the way malware and PUPs are distributed, there is a significant chance that GetEasyMaps.co wasn’t the only PUP to be installed on your device.

If removing GetEasyMaps.co manually doesn’t work, like if you find it reinstalled,  that’s a really good indication that a virus has infected your computer and that you really need to find and remove it with an antivirus application.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove Geteasymaps.co Hijacker using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to Geteasymaps.co Hijacker . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove Geteasymaps.co Hijacker from macOS

Delete GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Geteasymaps.co Hijacker app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Geteasymaps.co Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Geteasymaps.co Hijacker. Click on the trash bin icon next to GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Geteasymaps.co Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Geteasymaps.co Hijacker related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Geteasymaps.co Hijacker. Click on the "Remove" icon next to GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving Geteasymaps.co Hijacker from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the GetEasyMaps.co Hijacker. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Geteasymaps.co Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.